Silver Lake
Hernando County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Silver Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 16 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Silver Lake in Hernando County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 85 µg/L.
Silver Lake is a lake in Hernando County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 16 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2023-06-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Silver Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Silver Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Silver Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Silver Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 85 µg/L. TSI 68.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 2ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 85µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 68 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Silver Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~16 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Florida DEP
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Silver Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
723 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
59 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
56 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Withlacoochee State Forest - Silver Lake CampgroundPublic
- Withlacoochee State Forest - River Junction Boat RampPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Silver Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Silver Lake in Hernando County, Florida — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Silver Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Florida’s top lakes →
Follow Silver Lake’s readings
Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.
Or email
Fishing Silver Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2022–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Stable2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-50 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Hernando County
Frequently asked questions about Silver Lake
Where is Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake is a lake in Hernando County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake in Hernando County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 2 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 85 µg/L.
Is Silver Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Silver Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Silver Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 16 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Withlacoochee State Forest - Silver Lake Campground, Withlacoochee State Forest - River Junction Boat Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Silver Lake?
- Silver Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Florida's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Silver Lake across LakeQuality
More lakes in Florida
Other Lakes in Florida
Eutrophic Lakes in Florida
Where this data comes from
4 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Submitting organization not recorded for these samples4 samples · 2022–2023
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory